Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, September 13. Also check out Samantha Bee mocking “reporters,” “journalists,” “moderators” etc. for failing to “do their f***king job” and/or reporting the facts. As Bee points out, “calling a liar a liar isn’t an opinion if you can prove it; that’s what we call a ‘fact’.” Time for the media to get on the job of fact-checking the “geyser of mendacious vomit that spews nonstop from the Trump campaign.”

The inside story of Clinton’s sick day (“Hillary Clinton never lost consciousness, and never stopped talking on her phone — and never put anyone else in danger — after her near swoon at a Sept. 11 memorial on Sunday in New York, according to accounts offered by several people close to the candidate.”)

AG: ‘Truly Baseless’ effort to hold Gov. Terry McAuliffe in contempt (“In a 93-page filing, Solicitor General Stuart Raphael called the Republican line of logic in this case ‘truly baseless.’ He ticked off procedural and technical reasons why McAuliffe can’t be held in contempt of the court’s August ruling, and he suggested that Republicans are simply trying to re-litigate an already finished legal battle ahead of the November presidential election.”)

President Obama just turned 55 and is about to leave office. Clinton is 68 and Trump is 70. Trump and his surrogates have been casting doubts on Clinton’s health and stamina, in part no doubt because Trump is vulnerable on that too and the best defense is a strong offense. So no wonder that Clinton didn’t rush to the media with the diagnosis that she has pneumonia. And no wonder that she refused to take rest until she was on the verge of collapse.

I have no patience with Democrats who immediately turned on Clinton to criticize her penchant for secrecy. What Clinton was doing is no different than a pro athlete playing sick or with a broken bone in a championship match, while keeping that vulnerability secret. And in the latter case, the athlete may get criticized for not playing as well as usual but when the truth comes out, those criticisms are forgotten. Under the Clinton Rules, she gets criticized no matter what. It is really disappointing though to see Democrats playing that game too.

@davidaxelrod 23h23 hours ago
Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia. What’s the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?

True Blue

I watched yesterday’s non-stop “concern” for Hillary’s health issue, then read about Alex Jones’ ecstasy over watching her buckling at the knees. Gross. Then, Trump surrogates stated that Hillary thinks all Americans are deplorable while making excuses for white nationalist and David Duke love for Trump. Disgusting. Trump’s 47% moment actually was reported last June as 50%, and Kellyanne Conway had some of her own deplorable remarks about Trump supporters prior to joining the Trump train.

Lawrence O’Donnell’s piece last night about media chasing the wrong stories was correct; ignoring the dangers of Trump’s signaling that a “gesture” could initiate WWIII were underscored by Giuliani’s insistence about “anything goes,” nothing’s illegal during war. This upside-down campaign is torture!

Will Trump refuse to concede if he loses the election? Republican Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky told religious conservatives that if Hillary Clinton is elected president, blood might have to be shed. “I want us to be able to fight ideologically, mentally, spiritually, economically, so that we don’t have to do it physically,” Bevin said Saturday. “But that may, in fact, be the case.” Recently, Trump’s close adviser Roger Stone warned that if Clinton were to “steal” the election, her inauguration would “mean civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath. The government will be shut down if they attempt to steal this and swear Hillary in. No, we will not stand for it. We will not stand for it.”

Regardless of what Trump and his troops are planning, this kind of rhetoric is irresponsible and dangerous. A democracy depends on a peaceful transition of government. To suggest otherwise is to fan the flames of paranoia and violence.

On Thursday, September 15, Hillary Clinton will deliver remarks in Greensboro, North Carolina and discuss her vision for an America that is stronger together.

True Blue

I hope her campaign team and secret service is a bit more responsive and medically aware now, considering the events of Sunday and staff illnesses. While it is not necessary to hover (she’s a big girl now) some compassion and concern would be great!